BABSON PARK, Mass. – Freshman lefty Nick Radcliffe (Randolph, Mass.) allowed just one run on two hits over seven innings and sophomore Todd Ezold (Westfield, Mass.) drove in three runs as baseball put an end to their recent skid as they topped Babson College 4-1 in non-conference action on Thursday afternoon at Govoni Field.
The Beacons improved to 10-11 on the year as they prepare for the Little East Conference doubleheader this Saturday with Eastern Connecticut State University in Brockton. The Beavers fell to 12-11 with Thursday's non-conference loss, their first since falling to UMB back in 2010 by the final of 20-7.
Radcliffe struck out two and walked a pair on the way to his first collegiate win while junior Matt Dziok (Southampton, Mass.) gave up just one hit over the final two innings to earn his second save of the season for UMass Boston. Hunter Silva took the loss for Babson, giving up one earned run on three hits over five innings, while striking out two and walking four.
The two teams traded runs on sacrifice flies in the first, beginning when Beacons' Ezold lofted a fly ball to center to score junior Jose Pena (Boston, Mass.). Babson then answered when Trevor Boyce led off the bottom half of the frame with a walk, stole both second and third, and scored on a sac fly to center by senior Chris Kucher.
UMB snapped the 1-1 tie with three runs in the top of the fifth, thanks to a pair of walks, a hit batsmen, and an error. Freshman Adam Gutierrez (Springfield, Mass.) scored the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded wild pitch, and Ezold followed with a two-run single to shallow left, scoring Pena and sophomore Bryan Failla (Torrington, Conn.), to give the Beacons a 4-1 lead.
After pitching out of a first-and-second jam in the second and then hitting the leadoff batter in the third, Radcliffe settled down to retire 13 straight until a two-out double by sophomore Joe Zanca in the seventh. Zanca eventually moved to third on a wild pitch, but Radcliffe stranded him there by inducing an inning-ending groundout to short.
The Beavers threatened again in the ninth as Kucher extended his hitting streak to nine games with a one-out single to left field. Two batters later, Sean MacPhee drew a two-out walk before Dziok thwarted the rally with a game-ending groundout to first.
Baseball returns to action on Saturday when they host Eastern Connecticut at 1 p.m. at Campanelli Stadium.